Medical practitioners, such as interventional cardiologists and neurosurgeons, may use x-ray images during procedures in operating rooms. The environment prevents the practitioners from standing behind protective barriers that shield them from the radiation. Many wear some sort of protective lead apron such as those manufactured by AADCO Medical, Inc. in their line of Ray Shield® aprons and vests.
The protective wear contains lead or other metals to absorb the x-ray radiation, making the protective garments relatively heavy compared to standard surgical garments. Many practitioners may have to wear these heavy garments for long hours during complicated procedures, or on days when they have several procedures schedules. As a result, practitioners may suffer shoulder, back and hip pain on a daily basis and over time may suffer permanent damage.
One solution is to make the garments lighter by using thinner layers of metals, or mixing the metals with other materials. This affects the protection level afforded by the garments, and the overall reduction of the weight of the garment is relatively small. One product line announces a reduction in weight of 30%, reducing the weight from 10.5 pounds to 7.5 pounds. While this may help in the short term, the practitioner is still carrying several pounds of gear every day.
Another solution is to make the apron removable as soon as the portion of the procedure that uses x-rays is no longer needed. However, for many procedures, x-rays are used most of the time. Further, the removable apron requires a pause in the procedure while another person loosens the fasteners from the protective gear so as to not interfere with the sterility of the practitioner's gloves.
However, these solutions still involve the practitioner having to carry the weight of the protective gear for long periods of time.